Building Integrated Photovoltaics - BIPV
Why BIPV?
Generating solar power from the surface of a building is evidently attractive since the electricity can be supplied inside or fed onto the grid through the substantial electrical supply feeding the building. However, when considering a photovoltaic retrofit it is often unclear what the potential building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) actually is. Shading and light scattered from other buildings adds significant complexity to any assessment.
Solar Jinie BIPV
EnerJIN developed the Solar Jinie BIPV sensor as an inexpensive, wireless means for assessing solar irradiance on any surface of the building. Referring to the photograph above, the solar irradiance at street level will be significantly lower than at the top of the building. Solar Jinie BIPV quantifies this variation and can help establish the viability for retrofitting the entire façade with solar PV, or only the upper levels. A network of Solar Jinie BIPV sensors on a building surface can help engineers determine the best configuration of PV and inverter topologies to remain resilient to complex shading and seasonal variations in sunlight.